Digital TV gets launch window
The first phase of the launch of digital terrestrial television (DTT) in South Africa is set for 26 and 27 September 2012, the Department of Communications (DoC) recently told the Select Committee on Labour and Public Enterprises.
Roy Kruger, technical adviser to the DoC, told the committee that the DoC targeted Northern Cape, near the area where the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is being rolled out.
There were a number of reasons the Northern Cape was chosen, Kruger said:
- Phase one of the launch is a proof of concept and the proof of concept was to show that DTT does work;
- To show that the frequencies used for DTT broadcasting do not interfere with the SKA project; and
- To show people in the deep rural areas who have never had TV before, that in the future they will have access to TV.
Kruger explained that the launch will happen in two areas, with direct-to-home satellite decoders used around the SKA, and DTT transmissions showcased in a township near Kimberley.
Minister of Communications, Dina Pule, will hopefully do the launch, Kruger said.
The DoC previously said it was aiming for a September 2012 switch-on of South Africa’s DTT signal using the DVB-T2 standard.
Digital TV in SA: more deadlines
Wanted: more free (and paid) TV
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